Hello all.



I've been having trouble finding a listing for a 2004 Ram 1500 HEMI oil
filter anywhere online. Everyone lists 2003, but not the latest
year.



Does anyone know if the 2003 and 2004 HEMI oil filters are the same for
the Ram 1500 4x4? The Owner's Manual simply lists Mopar P/N
5281090 for all available Ram 1500 engines. Can that possibly be
correct?



Thanks!



- Dave

 

Just had my oil and filter changed at the dealer yesterday, and happened to ask if the filter was the same as for 2003s, since I've noticed the same dilema. They are the same.</P>


By the way, my first oil change was free. I also had to have the dealership fill out a slip from the warranty book, and they removed the stub for the first oil change which is then attached to their copy of the work order.</P>


Since this dealership is a multi-line dealer and I've owned GM products purchased from them for years, I inquired about this practice. Their reply was thatChrylser is extremely stringent on warranty claims compared to GM, and this is one way of documentation that Chrysler imposed to keep everybody honest. Seems like overkill to me.</P>

 

Thanks for the reply, Dave! That was the opinion of my local
"iffy lube" ("Valvoline Quick Lube", actually), but wanted to be sure
before they cross-threaded a filter from the wrong engine onto my
1000-mile HEMI. In fact, the "iffy lube" lady told me that almost
all Dodge truck engines now use the same oil filter. I know my
old V-10 didn't, so she may have meant the 4.7L/5.7L/5.9L blocks.



I've had four Dodges so far and this is the first maintenance manual
I've gotten that has rip-out coupons. Obviously, almost nobody
will have all their oil changes done at a dealer, so using them to
confirm warrantee claims is a farce. I also have a freebee coupon
for my first oil change at my dealer, but since their "quick lube" is
Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, there ain't no way I'll be able to use it unless
I take a day out of work (ch'ya!).



- Dave

 

Just changed my oil today and they are the same filter. That first oil change is a REAL PITA. Dodge doesn't mess around when it comes to tightening the oil filter. I didn't think I would ever get that thing off. Does anyone have any suggestions on when would be a good time to switch to synthetic. I was planning on around 7000-8000 miles.

 

Thanks Jeff.



You bring up an interesting point. Is it a BAD thing to use
synthetic (or a blend like DuraBlend) right from the get-go? Do
synthetics mess up the seating process? I just had my ~1,000 mile
oil change and used a synthentic blend. Was that a mistake?



- Dave

 

</P>


</P>


500 miles is plenty of break-in time for today's modern 4 stroke engine. Even if you switched to a full synthetic oil at 500 miles, your engine will still break-in. I have seen plenty of oil analysis reports of new engines (using full synthetic oil) that have elevated wear metals.The levels were perfectly safe and were attributed to engine break-in.</P>


</P>


By the way, the 3.9 V6, the 4.7, 5.2/5.9, 5.7 Hemi and the 8.0 V10 all the use the same oil flter. If you don't have any clearance issues lengthwise, consider the Amsoil SDF-15. This filter is almost two inches longer than the stock sized filter. The reason the first filter is ard to remove is because they do not lubricate the oil filter seal when they put the filter on.</P>


</P>


Bill,</P>

 

Ihad mine switched over to a full syntheticat 1500 miles, andsgbofav is exactly right in my opinion..... Tim

 

Since we are on the topic, do the dealerships generally offer synthetic
as an option? Does Chrysler recommend a perticular brand/type for
the Hemi? I'm at about 8,000 now with an oil change coming up
around 10,000. I was considering going synthetic.



Joe

'03 1500 Quad, Dk Garnet Red

 

Hi Joe.



Dodge dealerships do offer synthetic, but at an incredible cost.
Dodge calls out Mobil 1 for my Viper, so I unknowingly asked for an oil
change while my car was in being inspected. $153 later, I had my
oil change! My dealership charges $15/quart for Mobil 1.



If you do go synthetic, Mobil 1 is a good choice, but buy the oil
yourself. I found out later that my dealer would've happily let
me bring my own case of Mobil 1 for 1/5 the price.



People have also had good luck with AMSOIL, although I have no first-hand experience with it.



- Dave

 

Thanks Dave. Definitely good to know about the dealership
markup. Guess I'll be doing my own oil changes again.
Of course, I'm coming up on the end of the free ones that came with the
truck anyway.